You Must Not Fail This Time
by GiraWolf
Summary: Roxanne Holt has been given the opportunity that anyone dreams of- six months of work, and no more hard labor for life. However, this seemingly innocent bargain steals her freedom, her blood, and her heart.
1. Offer

The sun was setting against the light pink sky, pulling the day to a close. The moon rose into view, glinting in the sun's fiery reflection. Beneath the heavens, a train lazily chugged along, exuding smoke from the chimney atop the engine. Several passenger cars trailed the engine, and various box cars full of different materials followed after. In the window of the first passenger car, a girl gazed curiously at the land spread out around her. The stars peeked out from behind the daylight, one at a time blinking into view. She sighed, fiddling with the pendant on her shirt.

Being only twenty-three, the girl had figured that she'd have a decent life by now. College came and went in a flash, consuming only six years of her life, and she was ready for any job she could take. With overflowing confidence, she had companies begging for her to work for them. However, none of them managed to appeal to her liking. All of them provided good pay and benefits, but they were all basic, run of the mill careers that would repeat the same tasks each day. The thought of it made the girl want to scream, but when she interviewed with another company, something about it fit in her mind. The Builders League United, or BLU, was an elite chain of business highly regarded in the economical standpoint. With control of at least fifty percent of the country's financial system, it would be any employee's dream to work for such a prestigious company. At first glance, it would seem as if the job they would offer the girl would keep her in the same bored state as all of the others, but someone saw an opportunity for such a go-getting young woman. She was called into the main headquarters for BLU, and that was where it all lost control.

A woman cloaked in purple from head to toe sat at her desk, being the highest of power at the company. A cigarette came into contact with her thin lips, leaving a ring of purple lipstick. She blew the smoke from her lungs, tapping the loose ash and looking up at the girl.  
"Roxanne Holt, I presume?" she hissed, her voice dry and raspy. The girl nodded.  
"Yes, ma'am," she replied clearly, "It's nice to meet you, Miss…?"  
"I prefer to be called 'The Administrator', Roxanne," the woman sneered, taking another breath of her cigarette, "Now, to get down to business. I have called upon you for your assistance in a very serious line of work. You will be required to be shipped to a random location upon my command, and you may not return for as long as six months. It is a very important position, and you are the perfect person to handle such a job." Roxanne knew that the Administrator was being vague, probably only to keep out the vital information that would bring Roxanne to her doom.  
"What's the catch? If you don't mind me asking…" she inquired. The Administrator grinned.  
"Smart girl," she cackled, "Well, the catch…The catch, I believe, would be what happens after this job is completed. You will be given grant from the BLU corporation of $500,000,000 dollars, paid in unmarked bills. This money is to be used for whatever your heart desires, and if you use it properly, you will not need to work for the rest of your time on this Earth." She looked away. "However, if you still believe you'd like to seek out work elsewhere, then I'm sorry to see you go." Roxanne thought for a moment. Being from a small town meant that she was always stuck admiring the rich and famous, without so much as a dollar to her name. Now, she had the opportunity to change all of that. With the money from the company, lifelong luxury was just a snap. She smiled in anticipation, but she shook herself out of her greed. The woman had her wrapped around her finger with so much as the offering of money. God only knew what she could do if the circumstances of the job weren't specified.  
"Well, would you at least explain what the job pertains?" she queried. The woman gave a devilish smile.  
"For security reasons, I cannot allow you to know too much, but…" she leaned in closer, "This job is one that comes once in a lifetime. It involves stealth, speed, and an iron will. Every day, this job will entail different obstacles to be overcome, and I think you're just the person capable, Miss Holt." Roxanne felt her heart skip a beat. She'd just been thrown the opportunity of exhilaration in the sea of tedium known to her as life. She smiled.  
"…I'll do it," she concluded. The Administrator grinned.  
"Excellent," she commended happily, turning to call her assistant, "Miss Pauling! Please, bring the contract, if you would." A small, quiet woman quickly came into the room.  
"Y-Yes ma'am!" she responded in a nervous voice. She returned almost seconds later with the contract prepared in her hand. The Administrator snatched the papers from the girl's hands, collecting them neatly and handing it to Roxanne.

"Just sign your name at the bottom and the job is yours," she smirked, her slight British accent setting in. Roxanne nodded, taking the paper and reading it over. It was exactly what the Administrator had specified, nothing more, nothing less. Excitedly, she scribbled her name onto the bottom of the pact, and without another thought, it was seized away, returned to the trusted hands of Miss Pauling for proper documenting. The Administrator smiled in a sinister way, placing her elbows on her desk and clasping her hands together. She willingly provided the girl with her instructions.  
"Tonight, I need you to pack three precious items from your home for transport," she directed firmly, "Tomorrow evening, at precisely five o'clock, a car will pick you up and take you to a train. On said train, you will be carried to the job site in an uncultivated location. There, you will be given further instruction." Roxanne nodded giddily, shaking the woman's hand. The Administrator smiled and called Miss Pauling back to escort the girl out, to which she complied meekly. Waving goodbye, the woman sneered.  
"_Adieu, mademoiselle,"_ she mocked crudely, taking another puff from her cigarette, "_Adieu…" _

**(Okay, this is my first TF2 story, and I hope I got most of the facts right. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy what is to come, please review, and bonus points if you can tell what class Roxanne might be taking over ^.^)**


	2. First Blood

After the initial meeting, all had gone just as planned. The mysterious band of BLU officials took Roxanne to a train station, where she boarded the BLU locomotive. That was where she remained, impatiently awaiting the train's arrival to the uncharted location. The sun sunk below the horizon, offering its last bit of daylight to the world. Roxanne picked up the small bag she'd brought along and opened it. Inside, her three precious items sat, tolerantly pending the second that she'd use them again. Speakers on the train activated, offering something to keep her occupied. A jaunty, fifties-style tune began to spray through the speakers. Excitedly, Roxanne grinned.

"_Somewhere, beyond the sea, she's there waiting for me…" _she sang along, "_My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships…that go sailin'…"_ Looking out the window, Roxanne spotted a cluster of buildings off in the distance. Considering that it was the only sign of civilization for miles, it was a safe bet that that's where she was headed. After a few short minutes, the train arrived at the buildings just as night had begun to creep over.. Once the train managed to halt completely, the door to Roxanne's car slid open, without a single word on whether or not she should be getting out. For a few minutes, she just stared blankly, expecting something to happen. After a while, nothing did.

"Uh…Okay?" she mumbled, picking up her things and exiting the train. Without another moment, the door slammed shut, allowing the train to reboot its engines and speed away, leaving the girl behind in a cloud of dust. With a heavy sigh, her eyes drifted up to the monstrous building that blocked her vision. The dim, silvery glow of the moon illuminated it in an odd, ominous silhouette, with only the whistling of the wind to be heard. A voice that broke the eerie silence startled Roxanne.

"I reckon you're Roxanne Holt?" a man with a hard hat and goggles asked. She nodded with a confident smile.  
"Yeah, that's me," she replied cheerily. He smiled.  
"Well, welcome to the BLU team; Population: 7 morons and me," he joked, leading her inside the building, "I don't know if you're a moron, but if you are, you've come to the right place." Roxanne chuckled.

"Last time I checked, I'm not a moron," she responded with a smirk, gazing in awe at the peculiar architecture, "But hey, who knows? Maybe I spend a little time here and I become a complete idiot." The man laughed.

"You don't look like you'd be a moron, but if you were, I'm sure you'd be a smarter moron than the rest of 'em," he noted kindly. She beamed, happy to already have someone she could relate to right off the bat. They continued down the open, echoing hallway, lined with several doors on the side. Once the end of the corridor was reached, the man pointed at the last door.

"Here's your room," he informed, adjusting the hat on his head, "Your uniform is inside, so once you're suited up, just go down the hall to the left. That's the mess hall, but unfortunately, we already had dinner, and when those guys eat, we're lucky to keep them from eating the tables." Roxanne shrugged.  
"Oh, it's alright," she assured him, "I don't have a big appetite, so I'm not hungry." The man whistled.

"No wonder! You're only…what, five feet?" he speculated. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm 5'2", thanks," she corrected sternly, hating every time when people would bug her about her lack of stature, "Well…I guess I'll see you then. Thanks for showing me in, uh…"

"Just call me the Engineer," he chimed with a tip of his hat, "And you're welcome." He walked back into the mess hall, leaving Roxanne to go into her room. From the front, the rooms didn't look too far apart, meaning they'd be relatively small, but even so, the room had a single cot, a dresser, and a window looking out on the front of the establishment. Roxanne set her things down and sat on the bed, noticing the neatly folded uniform that had been prepared for her arrival. With swiftness, she unfolded it to see what fancy attire she would be wearing. To her surprise, the blue outfit unfolded into a tailored suit. Roxanne grew confused, considering that the engineer she'd seen just moments before wore filthy overalls and a blue T-shirt. Still, it was a very fancy outfit, and without another second to wait, Roxanne was already dressed in the ensemble, looking at the obsequious attire with awestruck eyes. She giggled, picking up the small mirror on her dresser and gazing at her outfit. The suit fit almost perfectly, with a little bit of extra space for movement. It felt like she was a Bond girl, wearing a suit as a disguise in order to kill her target. With a smirk, she fired an imaginary pistol at the wall, reaching into her jacket to put it away in the hidden pocket. As she slid her hand in, her fingers touched something cold and metallic. Hesitantly, she grasped it, removing it into the open. To her surprise, in her shaky palm was a knife. Though it didn't appear to be so at first glance, Roxanne recognized it from her childhood.

When she was little, her cousins had one of the same type. Their names were Eddy and Amber. Roxanne's mom never preferred her daughter being around them, seeing that they weren't the best influence, but being rambunctious even as a child, she never listened. Edward was fourteen at the time, with Amber being eleven and Roxanne only nine. When no one was watching, Edward led them out into the woods and showed them his newest article. It was a shiny knife.  
"You gotta keep one with you so you can stab anyone you don't like," he convinced Roxanne. Amber elbowed him sternly, but he persisted in showing them more. He skillfully flipped it open and locked the blade into place. Roxanne watched in awe, and with another flick of the wrist, the blade was concealed. He handed it to her.

"Here, you try," he insisted kindly. He showed her how to open and close it, and after a bit of practice, she'd figured it out. Amber heaved a sigh.

"Man, her mom's gonna kill us," she choked. Eddy chuckled.

"Nah, Roxy can just stab her!" he joked, "Right, Rox?"She nodded with a giggle.

That effectively ended all future visits to see her cousins.

However, Roxanne couldn't help but smile as she flipped the knife open, just as Eddy had taught her to. The blade was clean and sharp, glinting in the reflection of the moon. After observing it for a bit, she gave a contented sigh and closed the knife, placing it back into her pocket. She slipped into a pair of deep blue flats and confidently strutted down the hallway, preparing to meet her comrades. Just as she was instructed to, she took a left at the end of the hallway. The mess hall was large, but it may have seemed a bit larger, had there not been eight obnoxiously loud men all in a frenzy. From what Roxanne could see offhand, there was a very large man holding a hat out of the reach of a shorter man, two guys arm wrestling, someone throwing axes at a wall, and two others in an intense argument. Roxanne had figured that a workplace of such a prestigious industry wouldn't be so crazy, but a shy smile crossed her lips. She knew in her heart that she'd have it this way if given a choice. It reminded her of her hectic household when she was young.

Spying the Engineer sitting on his own, fiddling with some sort of contraption, she quickly walked over and sat down beside him, smoothing out the pleats in her suit. She sported a wide, excited smile.  
"Hi!...Uh, I don't really know anyone else, so I'm gonna sit here next to you," she explained bashfully, "And this _is_ the uniform I was supposed to put on, right?" He looked up from his work and nodded.  
"Yup, that's it," he affirmed, pausing for a moment, "Wait…Where's your mask?" Roxanne thought back for a moment.  
"…My _mask?_" she repeated, brushing her hair from her eyes, "I…I don't think-"  
"Left pocket," he hinted. Digging into her left pants pocket, Roxanne felt a soft fabric. She pulled it out, and with a slightly pleased smile, she unfurled her dark blue ski mask. She giggled, pulling it on over her head.  
"Does it look alright?" she asked, pulling her hair back into a braid and tucking it under the mask. He chuckled.  
"Yeah, it looks fine," he nodded, putting his tools down and facing her, "…Say, I forgot all about that! You don't even know why you're here, do you?" Her face melted into a pout, obviously revealing her confusion.

"…Oh, yeah! I guess I don't…" she confessed, blushing under her mask. The Engineer smiled.

"Hey, we all had a first day, too, sugar," he reasoned, "Well, anyway, if you couldn't tell, this is the BLU team base, and-"

"GIMME THAT!" a voice interrupted. The large man from before ran by them, jumping the table they were sitting at as the smaller man sprang onto his back, beating him with his fists. The Engineer sighed in irritation.

"…Like I was saying, this is the BLU team base," he continued, regaining his composure, "And we have very serious jobs here. We ain't just your everyday group of workers…We've got harder jobs than that. It's our responsibility to protect the BLU Industry from being botched by those REDs, even if it means killin' em…" He scoffed at the thought of enemy personnel. Roxanne fell into a deeper state of puzzlement than before.

"REDs?..." she uttered, taken aback by the next thing to cross her mind, "…Killing them?" A shaken, distraught look came across her face. The Engineer put up his hands in an innocent defense.

"Hey, easy," he objected, "They've got miniguns, knives, arrows, flamethrowers…If we didn't kill them, we'd be lucky to last the night! Anyway, for some reason, the crazy lady with the purple hair decided to make you our new spy, so your job is to disguise yourself as enemy personnel." Roxanne grimaced, seeing that she was completely oblivious to everything going on. The Engineer sighed.

"Right pocket," he disclosed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a metal case. With great care, she opened it, and to her amazement, it hid a device that read 'Spytron 3000'. The gleam in her eyes intensified as she gaped at it with wonder. Running her inquisitive fingers down the side, the Engineer began to explain its purpose.

"See, you press those buttons down at the bottom to pick which enemy team member you want to disguise yourself as, and bam! You're a RED," he snickered. Not sparing a moment, Roxanne was already pounding in commands for the strange new device. She'd always been one to do without thinking, but this time she was sure the outcome wouldn't be bad.

Then again, that was what she always thought.

Once she had finally managed to get the complex machinery to cooperate according to her impatient standards, her figure was cloaked with an eerie blue mist, needing only a second to morph her into another individual. Gaping down at her new form, Roxanne felt herself exhale slowly and draw a shallow breath in turn, as if she were afraid movement would disturb the state she was in.

With captivated eyes, she lifted her hands. However, they weren't her hands, so to speak, but the hands of another. She felt her face, the inquisitive fingers halted when a pair of goggles was stopped upon, a hard hat not far above. A smile slowly grew on her face as she noticed the red shirt and overalls she donned. Her shimmering eyes looked back up at the Engineer excitedly. With a giddy laugh, she tried speaking.

"Woah! I didn't…Oh my God, I've got your voice, too!" she cried flippantly, "I'm the Engineer! I build things…Yeah." She still couldn't believe what had happened, twisting and turning to be sure that it had worked to its fullest. The Engineer smirked, glad that the girl had finally been given a chance. Knowing what usually happened to the new guy, it hadn't been a happy thought imagining what the other team would do with a girl. At least if she had some type of skill, a good chance would be in order for her to survive. As the happiness slowly wore off, Roxanne's face became worried

.  
"Wait…Do I actually have to kill people?" she asked, ringing her hands nervously. The Engineer shrugged.

"Well, you do have to 'kill' people, as it would seem, but honestly, they don't go anywhere," he assured her, "They just respawn back at the base, good as new. Like it never happened." Heaving a sigh, Roxanne looked unsure.

"I…I don't know," she mumbled. The Engineer adjusted his goggles.

"Remember that pretty little paycheck they promised you?" he inquired, receiving a nod from the girl, "You won't a penny of it unless you get to killin'." Roxanne swallowed the lump in her throat, recalling the contract she signed.

"I guess I could, since they don't really die," she squeaked, a nervous smile on her lips. The Engineer couldn't help but laugh.

"Money is an amazing thing," he jested, flipping his wrench around in his hand. A loud, blaring siren interrupted them all, bringing drawing everyone's attention. Within seconds, the men started to exit the room. Frantically, Roxanne looked up at the Engineer.

"Where are we going?" she cried over the screaming alarm. He looked back at her.

"Try to get the briefcase!" he replied, and without another word, Roxanne was left alone in the darkness. Tentatively, she stood and began to exit the building, recalling the way she came in. The cold wind whipped around her, making her shiver. Her footsteps echoed around her against the dark walls, and being alone became more apparent than ever to her. For some reason, though, she felt a disturbance. The atmosphere grew eerie, but she kept going anyway. Then, it became apparent. It wasn't her mind. She could hear someone else breathing. As she swiftly twisted around in order to see her tracker, a loud noise rang out, slicing through the air. All in a moment, the girl's eyes watched as a man appeared from thin air, stumbled around, and fell onto the ground in a bloody heap. Startled, she jumped back, feet trying to avoid the blood.

"Wave goodbye to your head, wanka!" she heard someone shout from a distance. Nervously, she lifted her hand and waved in his direction.

"Uh…Thank you!"she called, hoping she could manage to get on good terms with her team.

"Sure thing, mate," he replied happily. With a small smile, she moved on, now a little more confident. However, her confidence soon dropped as she heard the sounds of gunfire and cries of pain in the direction she was heading. Her heart sank when she heard someone calling for help.  
"Help me!" they shouted. Roxanne couldn't help herself, and she ran forward, crossing a wooden bridge over to a large, barn-like red building. Her efforts were cut short when a man with a helmet got in her way, holding a shovel. He swung it at her, missing by a few inches, when a small, quick figure pulled by and beat the offender with a bat, rendering the shovel ultimately useless. After the quick battle, the first man fell to the ground, dead after the quarrel. Heart racing, Roxanne took a step back, looking up at the man who saved her.

"Hey, c'mon, dude, I can't be in charge of saving your ass every time-" he started angrily, realizing who he was talking to, "Oh…Hey, uh, you the new girl?" Roxanne nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm Roxanne," she told him, "Who are you?" He stood up straight, adjusting his hat to assure he looked okay.

"Yo, what's up? I'm the Scout," he told her, trying to sound as manly as possible, "I'm the fast, tough guy, ya know?" He leaned against the wall, flexing his muscles nonchalantly. Roxanne sneered at him.

"…Congratulations," she muttered, putting her hand on her hip, "Can you just point me to the briefcase so I can do my job?" Scout chuckled.

"Woah , woah, I don't think a dame should be headin' into somewhere so dangerous," he defended, "Just let me take care of that old briefcase for you, and then you can thank me later, okay toots?" Roxanne crossed her arms, giving him a stern look.

"Uh, yeah, how 'bout I just get back in the kitchen and make you a sandwich, jackass?" she snapped back. Scout laughed.

"Man, you're a feisty one," he smirked, "Now that you mention it, why donchya? I am a little hungry." Roxanne shook her head.

"Unbelieveable," she muttered, walking past him into the red base. He followed after her.

"H-Hey, wait!" he called. She spun around.

"What do you want?" she yelled. Before he could answer, Roxanne heard a sickly noise, and insurmountable pain overcame her. Scout's eyes widened. Stumbling, Roxanne tuned around to see a man in a mask holding a bloody axe, laughing at her. Blood ran down her back, and she moved forward, trying to fight back. He pushed her down.

"Medic!" Scout shouted, "Doc, where are you?" He ran off, trying to get help. Crawling along, Roxanne tried her hardest to move away, but the madman pursued her still. He hit her again, rendering her incapable of moving. Her head rested on the ground, looking out into the distance. Slowly, her once bright eyes went dark, closing as her life slipped away.

(Sorry for taking so long ^^; I've been busy. So, if you don't mind, please review what you think ^.^ I'll be on more often once summer comes. Thanks!)


End file.
